Coming Home
by Malakia
Summary: For the longest time Soul thought he wouldn't have to worry about his past. Now though a mission calls him and his friends back home. How will he handle dealing with his friends discovering his past and dealing with this new threat? SOMA DISCONTINUED/ON HAITUS
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings fellow Soul Eater fans. Just a few things before we begin: **

**1. Honestly I wasn't going to post this cause I think it's crap but a friend of mine convinced me too. I HOPE YOUR HAPPY RAWR! This is my first time posting in this category so any helpful reviews will be nice (just to make sure I have characters personalities down right and all)**

**2. I don't own Soul Eater. If I did Soul and Maka would have gotten together a LONG time ago. Enjoy!**

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><p>Soul peeked out from the slit of his eyes, glancing around at everyone as a feeling of nostalgia overcame him. To his right was his meister, Maka, writing frantically as she tried to keep up with Stein's lecture. A row above him was Kid also writing while Liz was painting her nails and Patti was drawing something. Three rows above Soul's location was Black*Star with his head down on his desk, asleep, and Tsubaki taking notes for him. All in all a typical morning.<p>

But Soul knew better.

Biting back a growl, Soul closed his eyes completely, going back to the very beginning of the morning….

_*Flashback*_

Soul Walked silently behind everyone, watching with lazy eyes as they slowly made their way to Shinigami's Greeting Room(1). The girls were ahead of everyone talking about girly things. Well, Soul thought it was something girly since Maka was waving her arms frantically, looking fearfully at Liz who was smirking wildly. When it was something girly and pertaining to Maka, the young technician was usually NOT ok with it. Kid and Black*Star were just ahead of Soul and were discussing what sounded like a new video game Black*Star got, with the ninja trying to explain the premises of the game to the young shinigami, who looked completely lost.

Soul felt a corner of his mouth lift. He liked the normalcy of it all, he liked it a lot. It reminded him that though they had gotten older, they were still kids. It reminded him it was ok to laugh and joke, and not be so cynical about life.

That cheery mood stayed with him even as everyone drew quiet as they came closer to the Greeting Room. It wasn't often students were called first thing in the morning school hours, so they knew it was something important and got their game faces on.

As Soul got closer he could make out the imposing figure of Shinigami, compared to Stein and Spirit standing next to him. "Hello, hello!" Shinigami greeted when he noticed the young adults, moving his head side to side. "How's it going? What's up? What can I do for ya?"

"Marie said to come to you Father," Kid said as everyone climbed the raised platform.

"Oh yes!" Shinigami replied cheerfully. "I have a mission for all of you!" He watched the kids line up in a half circle, looking at each one of them with black holes. His eyes seemed to linger longer at Soul but that could have been Soul's imagination.

"There are signs that there is a pre-kishin egg that is nearing kishin level," Shinigami said without preamble. Everyone tenses up immediately. Soul felt a spike of fear from Maka's soul and instinctively sent out a wave of calm and reassurance to her. She glanced over at him and sent him a grateful smile which he responded with his own cheeky one, before they both looked back at Shinigami.

Soul couldn't help but recall the event that happened a year ago. They had finally faced off with the kishin, Asura. The raging battle had resulted in a victory for the DWMA with Maka using Soul to cut down the kishin, establishing him the more powerful Death Scythe over Spirit and the others. The battle was anything but celebratory though. Too many lives had been lost and nearly everyone had been beaten with an inch of their lives. Maka had gone through her own special hell by the hands of Asura himself, taking months of therapy to recover both physically and mentally. She still suffered from nightmares but was almost back to her old self. As for Soul….

He had nearly succumbed to the Madness.

It took all he had not to give in and still be able to use the Black Blood power. If Maka's Grigori soul hadn't been holding onto his so tightly, he would have. Physically he was fine now but mentally he was still suffering. He had come in direct contact with the Madness and it grew inside of him. It was still there, shifting, waiting for Soul to let his guard down. He struggled with it every day. At night it was worse, nightmares plagued his mind, and doubts always haunted him. It got so bad that he didn't even sleep anymore.

He didn't dare tell anyone, especially Maka, but he drew strength from his friends and was able to push it back.

"This pre-kishin," Dr. Stein continued with a puff of smoke escaping his mouth, snapping Soul back to reality. "Is rather… intelligent for lack of a better word. It has established a gathering of other pre-kishin eggs. Even as we speak, pre-kishin are flocking to this thing. It is becoming too powerful."

"How has this gone unnoticed until now?" Kid asked authoritatively.

"It was noticed a few months ago," Shinigami said in his ever cheerful voice, focusing everyone's attention back on him. "We kept an eye on it but as Stein-kin said, it is intelligent. It only attacks during festive events, like large parties, allowing it and its army to collect as many souls as they want."

"Heh, sounds like a challenge," Black*Star said smirking while placing his hands behind his head. "Leave it to me! I'll get rid of the leader."

"No," Spirit finally said. "The leader is too powerful. Only a Death Scythe can defeat this thing. The rest of you will be there to handle the other pre-kishin."

"What! A god like me doesn't play second fiddle!"

"You will in this case," Spirit answered looking at the young ninja. "Think of it as a way to collect the souls needed to turn Tsubaki into a Death Scythe. Wouldn't that help you achieve your goal in surpassing the gods?"

Black*Star stopped his fuming as he thought about this. He then smiled and nodded, returning back to his confident self.

After the ninja was through with his outburst, Shinigami turned back to Soul and Maka, waiting for an answer. "Sounds like a cool mission," Soul said, giving the "God of Death" his trademark grin.

Maka sent her partner a disapproving look at his laid back answer before facing Shinigami again with a smile. "We'll be happy to take it. You can count on us!"

"Excellent!" Shinigami said bringing his overly large hands together excitedly. "You'll head out tonight! That is, after you're done with school and went home to pack!"

"Where will this mission be?" Maka asked, always wanting to know the details. Soul was also curious but remained his 'cool guy' façade as he looked at Shinigami. Shinigami seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering.

"Edinburgh, Scotland."

And just like that Soul's good mood, stomach, and heart dropped all at the same time.

_*end flashback*_

Soul tightened his jaw as he was brought back to the reality of the classroom. _'Out of all the fucking places that fucking egg had to choose, why did it have to be fucking Edinburgh….'_

While everyone had _gushed _about seeing gorgeous country, Soul had remained stoically quiet, not only fighting back his own despair but also the Madness that lashed out at his weakened defenses. It took all he had to not fall to his knees but he kept his 'cool guy' persona up and pulled it off without a hint of the turmoil inside of him. _'Well almost…,´_ he thought casting a glance at Maka again.

Instantly Maka had sensed his mood and reached out to him through their souls. He immediately met her halfway, sending off reassuring vibes again; he didn't want her to sense how much Madness was in him and to tip her off about his feelings. When he met her gaze he saw she didn't believe his little act at all. Not for the first time he curse Go for having such a smart partner.

_Isn't that one of the reasons you fell in love with her?_ the little devil, the Imp, in him sneered. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo, could Soul's day get any better?

Soul heard the sinister snicker from the little devil inside of his head. Well, it wasn't so 'little' anymore actually. After the incident with Asura he had grown to Soul's chest and he didn't look so disproportionate anymore. His arms and legs, instead of chubby and mismatched, had equaled out with long talon like hands. His head wasn't as football shaped either, it having turned more round and _human _with the horns of his head had grown longer and his teeth looked more like fangs. The only thing that hadn't changed was the fact he was still red, wore a damn suit, and looked at Soul with crazed, greedy eyes.

'_What do you want?'_ Soul snapped at it.

_For you to let the Madness to take over you, but that isn't going to happen, it seems, anytime soon. So instead I'll settle on mentally torturing you._

Soul envisioned himself kicking the little shit.

_Ow! That was uncalled for!'_

Soul took grim satisfaction from the pain that he had caused it before saying, _'Go away. I have enough problems to deal with than to hear your shit.'_

_Aw…. Aren't you even a little bit excited to be finally returning **home **after what? Five years?_(2)

Soul bit back a growl. _'Leave, damn you!'_

_Alright! Alright! The nuisance is leaving!... But how do you think Maka will take it when she finds out who you **really **are?_

'_I am Soul Eater, Death Scythe! I am no longer Soul Evans! Now leave!' _Slowly he felt the Imp move to the back of his mind. Sighing heavily Soul opened his eyes, looking ahead at the wall in front of him absentmindedly.

The Imp was right, how _would _Maka react when she found out about who he was? Hell, how would everyone react? For years he had been open with everyone but about one subject: his past. All they knew was that he had been really good at piano; they didn't know he was a prodigy at it. They didn't know where he came from. That he had had parents and an older brother. They knew absolutely nothing…. And that's how he liked it.

'_How would Maka be around me if she finds out?' _he thought. _'She hates people lying and withholding information from her. Will this destroy us?' _His heart clenched at the thought. He _couldn't _live without Maka, the one person he trusted above all others and who he could just be _himself _around without feeling like he was being judged. She would _hate _him and he couldn't live with that since he _loved _her.

He resisted the urge to glance at her again, swallowing to wet his now dry throat. Yes, Soul Eater was hopelessly in love with Maka Albarn, had been for years, and he was too much of a coward to tell her. Oh sure, he had tried showing her his affections without just outright kissing her but she was so dense and focused on other things (not to mention a man hater) that they always went unnoticed. So instead he stood as her shadow, always there to protect her from whatever was out there and be the best friend. Even if it did cause him lots of sorrow.

Suddenly he felt something land in his lap. Looking down he noticed a folded piece of paper with no return address. He knew it wasn't from one of those silly girls that asked if he would be their weapon from the lack of hearts and other girly things. Picking it up he opened it, immediately recognizing the hand writing even before he reached the bottom of the note.

**Hey you okay?**

** -Maka**

He turned his head to her to see she had stopped taking notes completely, instead looking at him with concerned eyes. _'Crap,' _he thought putting his chair down on all fours to write a response.

**Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking.**

He scooted the letter across the desk to her, watching her take it and read it. It didn't take long for him to get a response.

**You sure? You've been acting strange since Shinigami gave us the assignment.**

Had it been that obvious? _'She's your partner dumbass,' _he told himself, not needing the Imp to berate him this time. _'She knows you better than anyone. She can just feel it.'_

He checked the walls around his soul for any breaks to tip her off as he wrote a response. Nope, the walls were still strong besides the little hole that he kept open just for Maka. After the kishin battle she didn't want to let go of Soul's soul at all, her fears of abandonment reaching new heights. He tried to reaffirm that he would never leave her with his words but that hadn't worked. When he tried to withdraw at all she latched onto him like a scared child. Finally, after talking with Dr. Stein and Shinigami about it, they came up with the, both would make sure that at least a little bit of their souls were always connected and Soul made sure that the connection was always sending out happy moods; it didn't mean other feelings leaked out every once in a while but for the most part it was all good. Happy none of his negative thoughts had gotten out, he sent his note to her.

**Yeah, I promise. Just thinking about how this mission will go.**

He got a message back quickly.

**Well don't think too hard. Don't want your brain to explode!**

He sent his meister a glare, seeing her cheeky smile, before writing his response.

**Don't mistake me for Black*Star, tiny-tits.**

Sending her his response he watched, greatly amused, how her happy expression turned into a glare that she sent his way. He knew she wasn't going to Maka Chop him during the middle of class (after he wasn't so sure…) so instead she went the childish route and stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to the lecture.

Soul couldn't help a victory smile cross his lips as he leaned his chair back, returning back to his previous thoughts. He dropped his smile and closed his eyes again leaning his head back. There wasn't really anything he _could _do about the situation he was in, he slowly came to realize. His fate was handed to him and he could only hope that the mission would end quickly before anyone found out who he was. He really didn't want to lose his friends that he considered his family and the only real woman he ever loved.

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><p>1<strong>. I forgot what the rooms called but I like my name better. It's where everyone gathers so it's the Greeting Room. Who the hell knows what actually resides behind the mirror.<strong>

**2. For those of you questioning my choice, let me explain. The episode where the Soul Eater gang was in London, Soul didn't seem particularly upset (albeit he had other things on his mind at the time) but I still believe that he is from the general region. So Scotland was my best bet. And besides who doesn't love a Scotsman ;)**

**Don't forget to review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again. Going to continue posting this story until it is finished.**

**I no own Soul Eater or any of the products or places that appear in this chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

With everything going on, Soul couldn't decide if this trip was the worst in his 19 years of living. After school had ended, everyone had gone back to their respective homes and had gathered their supplies for the coming week. Maka had tried to get Soul excited about the trip but he couldn't find it in himself to be able too. It had resulted in a bitter argument between the two of them with Soul pouring out new lies instead of just telling her the truth. Needless to say, the motorcycle ride had been one of the worst since both of them refused to talk to each other.

The plane ride was just uncomfortable with neither one refusing to sit next to each other in the private jet. The tension was noticeable to their friends and Soul had to deal with _both _Kid and Black*Star breathing down his neck trying to figure out what was wrong between the two of them. Soul had refused to speak about any of it, opting to play his Ipod at full blast, angering both friends. In the end they both walked away, leaving Soul with his confliction thoughts and emotions.

The next round of interrogation came from Liz, Patti, and Tsubaki, when the plane had stopped to refuel in Philadelphia. That argument ended just as badly as the last two with Liz yelling as she walked away followed by a pissed Patti (which was so scary that it almost caused Soul to confess everything) and a hesitant Tsubaki. With everyone on one side of the jet and Soul on the other, Soul felt isolated from everyone but knew he only had himself to blame. Then the Imp had decided to make an appearance and all Soul wanted to do was go and bash his head against the wall to end his suffering.

The only good part of the jet ride had been when they were over the Atlantic. By then everyone was asleep, or at least Soul had thought because his eyes were closed, feigning sleep. He felt something shift next to him and opened his eyes to see Maka, with a blanket, lay down rest her had on his lap. She didn't say anything but Soul understood the message; she hadn't entirely forgiven him but she was ok with him now. In response, Soul reached over and took one of her hands, giving it a reassuring squeeze, before returning it back to its original position. They spent the rest of the time like that until they landed at the Manchester airport.

They had to switch to a more light weight jet and all sorts of craziness ensued. Oh, switching planes had been easy but then Kid noticed it was symmetrical in the _bathrooms _and had a fit. That ended with them getting on another plane that fit Kid's specifications. Then there was the fact that some luggage had gotten misplaced when they had waited to board the new plane. At three in the morning they went all around the airport to find who could help them. Luggage and Baggage Claim pointed them to another office who pointed them to another office which led them back to Luggage and Baggage Claim. The hour and a half run-a-round, along with dealing with Black*Star and Patti's antics, did nothing for Soul's already frazzled nerves and when they had returned to Luggage and Baggage, coupled with the man behind the counter piss poor attitude, he snapped, yanking the person by his collar, demanding that they find the luggage or he was 'going to go through the damn place, destroying everything in my fucking path until _I _do.' It had taken Kid, Black*Star, and Liz to pull him off and resulted in a couple of Maka Chops for threatening people. It got them the luggage quickly though and they were up in the air 30 minutes later. An hour later they found themselves at Edinburgh Airport and in a car taking them to their hotel, the Hilton. The group of young adults was so tired, when they arrived, they just gathered their luggage, checked in, and stumbled into their rooms on the 12th floor.

In his and Maka's room Soul took one look at one of the twin beds, tossed his bags in the small 'closet,' stripped off his shirt, and flopped on the bed nearest the window. He heard Maka mutter something at him but his mind was so far gone that he couldn't hear it. Without much conscious thought, slowly his mind slipped into darkness.

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><p><em>It was so dark, an impenetrable darkness. It chocked him, slowly filling him, killing him.<em>

_ "Why do you deny me?" a voice hissed._

_ He tried to respond, tried to move but nothing worked._

_ "I can give you power! I can give you everything!"_

_ 'No!' Soul thought. 'I don't want it!'_

_ "You do! I sense it! Why do you continue to deny me!"_

_ Suddenly a flash and Soul found himself able to move, see, and hear again. Upon seeing everything he instantly wish he could go back to the darkness._

_ Around him was destroyed, crumbling buildings. They were charred with blackness and there were raging fires all around. There was no sign of green or tree like shapes in sight, just a wasteland of crumbling buildings with the smell of sulfur and decay in the air._

_ He became aware of something spongy and wet in his hands. He looked down at his talon like hands and immediately dropped the object as if diseased. A heart; it was a human heart._

_ Fearfully he slowly started to back away from it, when his leg hit something. Spinning around, he looked down at his feet which were in dress shoes, and stared down horrified to see an arm. It wasn't even attached to a body but it looked like it was ripped from the shoulder socket if the jagged edge of the bleeding appendage was any indication of the violence it suffered. But those details were lost to Soul; his attention was more focused on the fact that it was clothed in a suit like material and, much to Soul's horror, a skull ring on its middle finger._

_ Soul's stomach dropped and he withheld the urge to purge it as his eyes traveled up to the rest of the horrific carnage. The sight before him made him even sicker. Everywhere there were bloodied body parts. Hands, arms, legs, torsos were uncaringly tossed about giving the place more of a massacre scene than a battlefield. What was worst, he could clearly identify each and every one of them. Black*Star's arm, one of Tsubaki's legs, Patti's torso…. Everyone he considered friends and family was there._

_ His legs felt weak and he brought up a hand to cover his mouth, forgetting it was covered in blood, as he continued to stare at everything with wide eyes. He was so shocked by the scene that he didn't even see that his friend's heads weren't there. They were farther in the background on pikes, staring down at him with dead eyes. As Soul continued to study the area more, his eyes quickly caught a sight of dirty blonde hair sticking out from underneath a pile of rubble. "Maka?" Soul whispered to himself. "Maka!"_

_ Without thought he ran towards her, tripping over fallen store and body parts. It didn't matter to him though, his eyes specifically focused on the head of hair. Arriving, he immediately started digging._

_ It wasn't long until he discovered the rubble was covering a slab of rock. Quickly he grabbed the one end and tossed it easily aside like a pillow, not giving any thought about this new strength that he couldn't, shouldn't, have as a human, and his heart nearly stopped. The energy left his body as he collapsed to the ground, tears coming to the surface of his eyes and rolling down his face. There, laying face up, perfectly intact, was Maka staring up at him with wide eyes._

_ But they had no life in them, no spark of the innocence he was so used to seeing. All because there was a hole in her chest where her heart __**should **__have been. The life drained out of Soul as his legs gave out from under him. With shaky hands he dragged her body over to his. He pressed her face into his shoulder, holding onto her tightly as he felt his throat constrict tightly. "Maka…," he whispered rocking back and forth not even bothering to stop the tears that slid down his face. "Please, Maka…!"_

_ He got no response, he never would. He wailed her name again mixing it with heart wrenching sobs. 'This isn't happening…,' he thought, hiding his face in her hair as he continued to cry. 'This is happening….'_

_ He didn't know how long he sat there, holding the dead body of the woman he loved. It wasn't until his sobs had turned into whimpers did he feel a slight breeze across his head. He stiffened, no not a breeze, someone was __**breathing **__on him. Slowly he raised his head, staring wide eyed at the person in front of him._

_ It was him. Or at least he __**thought **__it was him. They shared the same face and the same head of white hear, though its' was covered in blood, but the rest of his feature were foreign to him. It was smiling madly at him, showing off its blood stained shark-like teeth. Its ears were pointier at the tips than his and on top of its head was a pair of black horns. But what Soul couldn't take his eyes away from was its eyes, more specifically its __**three **__eyes._

_ Instead of white while they were on all consuming black. Its irises were still red but were so dilated that they were just dots. The third eye rest on its forehead and was sideways, reminding Soul of how Asura's looked._

_ Then the voice was back. "This is the real you…. This is your soul! Why do you deny me?"_

_ "You're lying," Soul whispered, voice gaining strength at the end. "This isn't me!" If possible the thing smiled even more._

_ "Am I? Don't deny it, this is you!"_

_ "No, it's not!"_

_ "Yes!"_

_ "No!"_

_ "YES!"_

_ "NO IT'S NOT!" He then lunged at the thing, raising a clawed hand to strike it. "IT'S NOT!"_

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><p>Soul jolted awake, sitting straight up on the bed. He was breathing deeply, sweat covering his entire body. It took him a minute to realize where he was and he let out a sigh of relief. He was in the hotel room he was sharing with Maka for their mission. He looked out the window to see it was somewhat dark outside with a little light bringing out the silhouettes of the top of buildings. He glanced over at the clock to see it was 5:23. He then glanced over at Maka on the other bed, happy to see that his nightmare hadn't woken up.<p>

Raising a shaky hand, he wiped the sweat from his brow. Seeing that it really didn't do much he moved to stand, silently cursing at his shaking body. Once he found his footing and assured himself that he collapse, he made his way as quietly as possible to the bathroom.

_'Man, this is so not cool,'_ he thought, closing the door behind him and turning on the light. Heading to the tap, he turned on the cold water and bent over the sink. He brought the cold water to his heated face a couple of times before feeling satisfied with that he had calmed down enough. Reaching out he grabbed the nearest towel and began wiping his face, standing straight as he did so. Bringing the towel away from his face, he glanced up into the mirror.

Before he could stop himself, he let out a startled yell and backed away quickly, nearly falling into the bathtub as he did so. There in the mirror was that _thing _from his dreams, staring back at him. _"I will always be with you," _a voice said in his head. _"Don't deny me."_

"Soul? Are you ok?"

Soul whipped his head over to the door at hearing Maka's concerned voice calling to him. Instead of answering, he looked back at the mirror only to see himself standing there with a horrified expression. Bringing his right hand over his rapidly beating heart he tried to calm himself as he stood straight again.

"Soul?" Soul looked up to see Maka opening the door to let herself in. He hair was messy and she was rubbing her eyes trying to rid herself of her sleepy appearance. That, mixed with her now wearing her signature stripped pjs, was a cute sight for Soul, had it been under different circumstances. "Soul are you ok?" Maka asked again, binging Soul out of his musing.

Guilt engulfed him as he looked into her concerned eyes as he shoved his hands in his jeans. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said trying to play it off as his typical self. He didn't want to bother her with his problems. "But jeeze Maka, could you at least have waited until I got _out _of the bathroom? Or were you hoping to catch me naked?" He gave his signature toothy grin as Maka puffed her cheeks out in anger.

"Well sorry if I was just concerned about my partner!" she fumed before storming away.

Seeing her leave, Soul dropped his grin and looked at the mirror again. All he saw was his reflection staring back at him. He frowned at himself. _'Whatever that thing was it certainly wasn't the Imp,' _he thought to himself, thinking how by now he would have made himself known. _'Then what was it?'_

Shaking his head he brought himself back to reality. _'Whatever. It's too early to think about this.' _He then left the bathroom to get ready for the day.

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><p>It was around eight that morning when everyone gathered again for breakfast. There was a nice restaurant-like area in the hotel lobby where they had an all-you-can-eat-breakfast-buffet. That had thrown Black*Star and Patti over the moon as they garbled down everything in sight. The rest, minus Kid, had taken to eating everything at a normal pace.<p>

"So Liz, where's Kid at?" Tsubaki asked watching her partner go back to the buffet for the fifth time.

"Said he was going to get a paper from a local news stand," Liz said taking a sip of her coffee. "Something about gathering information for tonight's hunt."

"And I have done just that," Kid said from behind her, surprising Liz who almost dropped her drink. After she yelled at him no to scare her like that and the typical greetings by everyone else, he took a seat between Liz and Patti bringing out a newspaper from under his arm.

"So what have you got?" Maka asked finishing her bite from her pancake.

"From the paper," Kid replied flipping it open to a certain page. "There seems to be a festival going on tonight." He handed Maka the paper, showing her the article. "The old man at the news stand also confirmed another private party that is being held at the National Museum of Scotland. That one is invitation only."

"Then how are we going to get in?" Liz asked leaning closer to her meister. Kid reached into his jacket and produced four tickets.

"Father found out and got us these. He only gave me four though. I suggest Liz, Patti, and I take three."

"I suggest Maka take the fourth then," Soul immediately put out there. He would rather deal with Black*Star's antics than deal with having to go to some fancy party. Those weren't his scene. He didn't want to admit though that he wanted to avoid those fancy parties at all cost with the off chance his family was there.

Maka cast him a look before looking back at Kid. "I think it's a good idea," she said, wanting to support her partner.

"You do realize that since we didn't bring dresses, it means we have to go shopping right?" Liz said with a sly look on her face as she leaned toward Maka.

Soul instantly saw the panicked expression on Maka's face. Seeing she might back out, Soul went with a plan that would guarantee she wouldn't. "What's the matter, tiny-tits? Afraid you won't find a dress that'll make you sexually appealing?"

"Maka Chop!"

Soul clutched his head as he peeked out of the corner of his eye at his partner. She was putting her book back with an uncaring look on her face but he saw the sheen of determination in her eyes. He won this round, even if it got him hurt in the end.

"Then it's settled then," Kid said in a professional manner. "Maka, Liz, Patti, and I will head to the party and Soul, Tsubaki, and Black*Star will go to the festival."

Liz squealed happily at being able to shop while Patti laughed excitedly. Maka looked a little fearful but still held that look of determination to prove Soul wrong. Kid went on to read the newspaper while Tsubaki had a look of mild happiness as Black*Star went on to yell out how he couldn't wait for his public to see his godliness. Soul just leaned back in his chair, continuing his "cool guy" persona, but was secretly relieved.

"I suggest," Kid said over his paper to Soul. "That you, Black*Star, and Tsubaki got scout out the center of town where the festival will be. I will scout out the museum while the girls go shopping." Soul nodded before going back to his food.

Once everyone had finished and the table cleared, they left the hotel to get to work.

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><p><strong>Don't forget to review<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello peeps! I'm back! I hope you all have been enjoying this! Anyway I would like to give a shout out to three people:**

**_coolgirl_ and _thatsadistinthealley_ because you both reviewed the story and _EvidenceOfSouls_ for faving the story. **

**Thanks for the support!**

**I will only do this one more time but here: I do NOT own Soul Eater. There. Enjoy.**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

"Stupid Soul," Maka muttered darkly. "I'll show him I too have sex appeal."

Currently the young technician was alone in the hotel room she shared with Soul, pulling her dresses and other accessories out of her various shopping bags. She had spent the entire day with Liz, Patti, and thankfully Tsubaki, going to all sorts of dress shops in town. It had been an almost painful experience for Maka, who probably spent more than she should have, but she was bound and determined to prove Soul wrong.

As she began to think about her partner more, she slowly began to stop her movements until she stood fully still at the end of the bed, holding one of her dresses close to her. She was worried about him; he had been acting strange the entire trip. He had been lashing out against everyone, was more withdrawn and distant, and this morning he had actually worn a _hat _out in public that covered his entire head of hair- something he told her he would never do because it was 'uncool.' Hell, the times she had tried to get him to wear one, he had thrown a fit about it so she just finally gave up on the matter. Now he did it freely? Yeah, something was not right.

And then there was last night. Even in her sleep deprived state she could hear him tossing and turning in his sleep. She had wanted to go and comfort him but knew he would hate it. The Black Blood experience had taught her that much. She had tried though to send soothing wavelengths to his soul but it seemed if he didn't have any physical comfort than nothing would work. And then he wakes up and acts like everything was fine!

She could feel the tall-tale signs of tears pushing behind her eyes. Quickly she looked up at the ceiling to push them back down. Damn it, she hated this. Hated how Soul could be the only man to bring her to tears. Hated how she felt like she was getting close to him and then suddenly he does something like this and pushes her away.

"I hate how I love you," she whispered to herself before giving a heavy sigh. Yes, she loved her weapon, had for very long time. He was the only man that knew all her secrets, who she trusted above all else. Some may call it ironic, seeing that she hated every other man on the face of the earth, but Maka would say it was built on years of trust that was the staple of their foundation. He was her rock from the very beginning of their partnership, though back then she didn't realize it until her feelings had developed deeper than friendship.

She would be lying in saying that these feelings didn't scare her at first. They terrified her. But slowly she came to accept them. The problem now? Trying to figure out how to get Soul's attention on her! Secretly, part of her hoped the dresses she bought today would do that.

Just then there was a knock at the door, snapping Maka out of her thoughts. "Coming!" Maka called as she placed her dress down on the bed. Going to the door she thought it was going to be Liz or Patti but was pleasantly surprised to find herself face to face with Tsubaki. "Tsubaki! Come on in." Stepping aside, she allowed the ninja weapon through before closing the door. "I thought Patti or Liz would be coming soon to ready for tonight, did they send you to come and get me?"

"No," Tsubaki said as they made their way further into the room. "In fact it was Soul who asked me to come in case Liz and Patti were driving you crazy."

"Really?" Maka couldn't help the light feeling that entered her chest at her partner's concern. It was so sweet.

"Yep. Soul said he would have come but he didn't want to walk in on our 'girly' time. That, and he and Black*Star decided to leave for the festival."

"Oh," Maka said quietly, trying to mask her disappointment. She really wanted Soul to see her in one of her dresses before he left.

"B-but I'm sure that you both will see each other before the night is through!" Tsubaki said quickly, picking up on her friend's attitude change. "I mean your party ends at midnight so you have plenty of time to meet us at the festival!"

Maka smiled kindly at her best female friend. Tsubaki was the only one out of their group that knew about her feelings for Soul. The young technician hadn't anyone to turn to but Tsubaki during her time when she was sorting out her feelings for him. The boys were immediately off the list since they talked to Soul too much; Patti seemed too childish and Maka feared what Liz would do if she ever found out about Maka's feelings. Tsubaki was the only person who Maka trusted with this information and the weapon had helped her as best she could.

Going over to the bed, Maka picked up the dress she had put down and held it up against her. It was strapless with the top half and the underlay of the bottom half made of a silk-like material that stopped below the knee. The material could been seen at the chest area but a swath of ribbon cut it off just underneath her bust and cinched her waist, accentuating her bust and hips. Starting from where the ribbon ended, the rest of the dress was covered in layers of chiffon with each layer stopping at different levels at the end of the garment giving it a tiered effect. It was modest but was still sexy enough. One of the best parts about the dress was that it didn't puff out but stayed close to her body with enough movement that, if needed, she could fight in. The clincher for Maka though was not only was it sexy looking but was also a deep red that had reminded her of Soul's eyes. "Do you think Soul… would notice me if I wore this?" she whispered, not daring to turn around lest the other girl saw the dark coloration that plagued her cheeks.

Tsubaki smiled kindly. "I think he would," she offered. Maka didn't dare hope as she finally turned around to the weapon, but only saw honesty in Tsubaki's eyes.

"Alright," Maka said feeling her confidence build. Tonight she would catch Soul's attention! "Can you help me?"

"It's what I'm here for!" Tsubaki said happily. Both girls giggled madly before getting to work.

* * *

><p>Soul glanced around at the rowdy crowd, scanning faces and dark crevices, as he adjusted his sun glasses again. He didn't doubt he looked odd, wearing a black beanie and dark shaded sunglasses, along with his signature look of his leather jacket, orange shirt, and dark jeans, though it was nighttime. But he wasn't taking any chances; locals might recognize him and that would open a new can of worms that didn't need to be opened today. <em>'Or any day,' <em>he thought wearily as children ran past him. Deciding it was pointless to dwell on his misery, he focused his attention on the matter at hand, spotting a pre-kishin.

Earlier that day Black*Star and him had gone to the festival area and scouted it out. It was a rather large to cover with plenty of hiding places, so it was decided that when the festival started that the three of them would split the area and keep watch of their own individual places. If one caught even the slightest hint of any pre-kishin activity they would contact the others. _'At least I hope Black*Star does,' _Soul thought, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on and continued walking. _'Knowing that idiot, he would fight it himself and end up getting either himself or innocent bystanders hurt.'_

Sticking close to the buildings, he watched people's faces and kept glancing at dark alleyways. Vendors called out to tourists with thick Scottish brogues while folk music and laughter floated through the air. The street lights and other added lights lit the area up against the brown buildings bathing the streets in a golden glow. He kind of wished Maka was here to use her Soul Perception, and because he missed her presence and conversation, though he would never admit that to anyone, but Soul had found a way around that. He had let down all the barriers of his soul and was sending out strong wavelengths in the area to tempt any insane creature. If Maka found out what he was doing, he didn't doubt he would get a few Maka Chops but if he got the job done it didn't matter to him. _'Come on you fuckers. Where are you?'_

Just then his cellphone went off with a loud buzz. Pulling it out of his jacket he saw it was from Tsubaki and quickly flipped it open to read her message.

**Hey Black*Star, Soul. Finished helping Maka out. I'm at my post now. Everyone else went to the party.**

** ~Shining*Star**(1)

Soul raised an eyebrow at her signature but sent an affirmative text back. He glanced at the time on the phone to see it was nearly eight. _'Leave it to Kid to have to be somewhere by eight,' _he thought, sliding the phone back in his pocket before continuing on his search and hoping Maka would enjoy herself for a bit.

It wasn't until hours later did he finally feel an inkling on something. He was walking by another dark alleyway when he felt something lightly on the back of his neck. Quickly his hand went up and covered his neck while he spun around. Nothing was there. Carefully he scanned the area. Nothing _seemed _different, that only left one place. He looked at the alley next to him.

It was dark but not too dark that he couldn't make out the outlines of the dumpsters, trash cans, and other garbage that littered the ground. He removed his hand and looked at it. A thin line of blood covered it. Not enough to cause him worry but enough to alert him. Looking back at the alley he decided to move into the shadow lest he needed to transform and alert or scare the citizens to anything.

He walked farther in until he came to stand in the center of the alley. He put his barriers back up around his soul and now used his instincts to see if the enemy was still around. The air was filled with thick tension and smelled of decay. Silently his eyes scanned every inch of the area. He couldn't hear the scurrying of any rats, or any creature for that matter. It wasn't right.

Then he felt it; something was behind him. Not to alert whatever it was, his posture remained slouched and he didn't turn around. He felt something move closer to him but he didn't hear any footsteps so he knew it wasn't a human. Instead he heard a _slithering _sound like a snake. Soul smirked; so this thing really thought it could sneak up on him… how uncool.

He waited until he felt something approach his neck. When it had come only just an inch away did he finally make his move. With a white flash, he turned his arm into a blade, pivoted his body around, and slashed at the thing causing whatever it was to fall to the ground with a loud thud. A loud animalistic scream filled the night, followed by the sudden 'whish' of wings. Snapping his vision upward, he caught the first look at one of the pre-kishin in the moonlight, seeing vaguely it was missing an arm, before it darted off somewhere.

Soul smiled viciously as he jumped using the walls to push off of until he landed on the roof and took off after it. All the while he pulled out his cellphone to alert Black*Star. The ninja picked up on the first ring. "Parties started," Soul said before giving Black*Star time to talk. "Following one right now to see if it will lead me to the others." He then hung up the phone and went in pursuit.

* * *

><p>Maka watched Kid with a bemused smile as classical music filled the air. Currently the two of them were staring at a painting that looked like someone had taken random blue shaded shapes together and painted them on a canvas. Kid was trying to put the pieces together in his mind and loudly ranting about it. <em>'Liz, Patti, where are you!' <em>Maka thought desperately.

As if hearing her, the two young ladies approached them, Patti giggling madly while Liz wore a tired expression. Both of them looked very lovely; Liz, her hair in an elegant bun, had chosen to go with a surprisingly simple black number, a halter top dress with a sweetheart neckline with the fabric sticking to her figure before it let loose at the hip and flowed down to the floor. The most daring thing about the outfit was the slit that went up along the left side and stopped just right above the knee. She finished the dress off with a drop down necklace with a cubic zirconia(1), round diamond at the end and matching earrings. Patti's dress was also black and had a sweetheart neckline but beyond that was drastically different than her sisters.

One side of her hair was swept up into a barrette that looked like a red rose. Her dress was strapless with the top half of the dress tight to her body to hold it up. In between the valley of her breasts was a cubic zirconia marquise diamond, clearly the eye catcher of the whole outfit. The bottom half stopped just above the knee with short, decorative layers of tulle that started at the hip and down to the end of the dress. It was elegant in a childish sort of way. Needless to say though, when Kid had first seen the outfits he was not happy that they weren't the same but when he noticed they were both black he had backed off a little. They weren't 'perfect' but he was happy to see they had thought of him a little at least.

"I see he's at it again," Liz muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest. Maka was about to respond when Kid noticed the two gun sisters.

"Liz! Patti! Come! We must find the curator and tell him to remove this asymmetrical monstrosity off the wall!"

Liz sighed heavily while Patti continued to giggle as she bounded over to Kid, grabbing his arm before he could storm off. "Silly Kid! It's supposed to be that way! It's Modern Art!"

"Patti, what are you talking about?" Kid asked, looking at the weapon as if she grew a second head. "It's trash!"

Patti giggled again as she went behind her meister and put her hands over his eyes. "Don't look at the details!" she laughed as she made him stand a few feet away from the painting. "Look at the whole picture!" She then removed her hand and Kid blinked a couple of times to adjust to the sudden light change.

He then looked at the painting with a contemplative look before his eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped. "I-I see it! How could such beauty exist in the chaos?"

Becoming confused, Maka looked at the painting again, still not seeing anything. Then her eyes were covered causing her world to plunge into darkness. "Here," Liz said with a laughing tone. "Let me help. Just remember Patti's advice to Kid."

Maka felt a pull and allowed herself to be led towards somewhere before stopping. Then suddenly the darkness was taken away and she had to blink rapidly to compensate for the sudden light. Once her vision returned, she was staring at the painting again. Following Liz's advice, she pulled herself away from the details of the picture until she was amazed to see that it created another image entirely. "Oh!"

Now looking at the full picture, she could now see that there sat a man playing a guitar. He looked sad and Maka couldn't tell where the picture was supposed to be but those facts eluded her at the moment from the amazing discovery she had found. She then looked over at Patti. "How did you know?"

Patti laughed as she threw her hands in the air. "I wanna be an artist!"

"Patti's been reading different art books," Liz answered, causing the technician to look at her. "Her favorites are about Modern and Postmodern Art. Where you think there is chaos on the surface, there is actually beauty beneath."

Maka nodded in understanding now. She looked back to see Kid was now dragging Patti to look at other works of art he had called 'trash' previously that night. Maka laughed lightly as she watched them while Liz sighed heavily. "Better go make sure those two stay out of trouble," she muttered as she walked off.

Leaving the female technician alone, Maka couldn't help but let out a deep sigh of relief. She loved her friends but sometimes they could be too much to handle. _'It's why I have Soul,' _she thought, missing her partner. _'He can handle almost anything.'_ Turning around, she decided to make her way out of the semi-crowded hall and make the short trip back to the main area where the party was being held, the Grand Gallery.

When she arrived, she surveyed the party in front of her. _'This definitely isn't his type of party though.' _Everywhere her eyes could see, men and women were dressed in their finest. A classical band on one side of the room played soft music on stage, setting the tone that was light, airy, and sophisticated and matched the room well which reminded Maka of grand ballroom. The high vaulted, glass ceiling above allowed the shining stars to stare down on them while white lights flooded all three levels, accenting the painted gold trimming on the white columns and railings. Numerous white linen tables were scattered about the large white marble floor that surrounded a dance floor that had couple dancing around the odd decorative green and gold gazebo that sat in the center. A balcony completed the room that looked out onto the city and Edinburgh Castle. There was a certain refrainment in carried the air that usually came with these parties like these and made Maka so paranoid that she was being judged that she barely touched her food at the formal dinner.

With her heels clicking against the floor, she made her way over to the table wear everyone had left their stuff. Grabbing her new red clutch she searched inside until she pulled out her cellphone. 9:51 glared up at her with no new messages; she was tempted to at least text Soul or Tsubaki but thought better of it. With a heavy sigh, she was about to put her phone back when a flash of shock white hair caught her attention from the balcony. _'Soul?' _Maka thought forgetting about everything else as she quickly made her way outside, her heart beating fast.

The warm sir felt nice on her bare skin as she came outside. Quickly she looked left and right, even going so far as to go over to the balcony and look down when she didn't see anything at first. When she saw nothing, she sighed heavily. _'Great, now I'm hallucinating.' _Giving up on the fact that she secretly hoped her partner was checking in on her she turned to head back inside when a loud explosion echoed through the night.

Spinning around she was horrified to see a pillar of smoke come from the center of the city. _'Oh God! Soul!'_

"Maka, what's going on?" Kid asked coming up behind her with Patti and Liz. In her panic for her partner she hadn't even noticed a crowd had gathered on the balcony as she turned to the others.

"I don't know! But it looks like the others-"

Suddenly another explosion occurred not far from the first as her phone started vibrating in her hand. Without even bothering to see who it was she immediately answered it.

"Tsubaki?"

"Ha! You wish! This is your god, Black*Star!" came the ninja's loud voice over the speaker. "Better get your ass over here now! These things are hard than they look but nothing your god can't handle!"

Maka didn't bother to answer as she snapped her phone shut, cutting off the ninja's laughter. Her face serious, she looked at Kid. "Soul needs me," was all she said for the other technician to understand.

"Right," Kid replied with a firm nod. "The girls and I will stay here in case any pre-kishin attack. You just go and help your partner."

Maka gave a grateful smile before she turned and faced the city again. It would take too long to leave by the regular entrance so she acted on pure instinct as she jumped on the stone railing before jumping off and plunging below, ignoring the shocked gasps and screams, and mindful that her dress didn't fly up. Landing gracefully on the ground, with a grunt from the impact, she didn't hesitate as she immediately took off at high speed down the street to her partner.

_'Don't you dare die on me Soul!'_

Up above Kid watched her head off before turning to the two sisters behind him. "Liz, Patti, go check on the areas I told you about. Those eggs are not coming in here if we can help it."

Receiving an affirmative from the both of them, he watched them leave. He was about to leave himself when a Scottish voice interrupted him. "Excuse me?"

Turning his head, Kid almost had to do a double take at the man behind him. It was an identical copy of Soul if the boy were a couple of years older! Upon his second look though Kid noted that, in fact, his first observation was wrong; the man's hair, though in a more tamed, messy hairstyle, was longer and though white it wasn't _as _white as Soul's. The man's eyes also weren't as bright a red either. The body type was the same, from what Kid could tell from the suit the man wore; broad shoulders with a lean body and legs.

Once over his initial shock, though not completely gone, he turned to completely face the man in front of him. "Can I help you?" he politely asked, though a little antsy to get to work.

"That girl…," the man started, his Scottish accent light enough for Kid to understand him. "I couldn't help but here the two of you, she said someone by the name of 'Soul' needed her. She wouldn't happen to be talking about a Soul Evans would she?"

Kid's face contorted into one of confusion. Soul Evans? Impossible. "I'm sorry," Kid replied. "But I know only one 'Soul' and his name is Soul Eater not 'Soul Evans'."

Kid watched as the man's white eyebrows bent inward and his eyes filled with an odd mixture of pain, confusion, and determination. His lips pressed together in a thin line and he took a hard shallow. He looked like he was about to say something else when a female voice cut through the sir. "Wes!"

The man turned and Kid could see a brown-haired woman frantically waving at him. Kid took this as his chance to escape and get started on his work. "Excuse me," he said before quickly running off before the man could stop him. He didn't turn around but had he, he would have seen the man's pained and heartbreakingly sad look before he too turned and went to the woman who called him. Instead Kid focused on the mission in front of him and decided to push back the odd encounter until later

* * *

><p>Hours later, a breathless Maka firmly planted the butt of Soul's scythe on the ground, leaning against it, as she looked out at the damage below. What seemed like hundreds of pre-kishin souls littered the area. On the overturned ground, on the tattered roofs, they were everywhere and it still wasn't half of what the young adults had fought. The rest had escaped not seconds before and even when the technicians had tried to follow them, they seemed to blend into the shadows and disappear. Vendor stands had been blown to bits or tossed from its original spot. The streets had been completely demolished with large chunks missing or jutting out from where it had once been. Street lamps had been bent in such a way that they didn't look like street lamps anymore, glass and shingles were strewn across the ground from the destroyed buildings. The only good thing that night was that the pre-kishin hadn't gotten any more human souls.<p>

"Well," Maka huffed, standing up straight. "This sucks."

"I think you mean uncool," Soul said as he transformed. He stood close to his meister just in case she needed him but he shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched to resist the urge to touch her. For the most part he looked unscathed besides the trickle of dry blood that came from his forehead, down his nose, and veered off and down the left side of his face. He got it after letting his guard down and ended up getting smacked in the head, breaking his favorite pair of shades. He also lost his hat during the beginning of the fight as well. "Did you happen to feel that pre-kishin egg?" Soul asked, referring to the one that was near kishin level.

"No," Maka said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. She looked like a hot mess; she was sweaty with minor scratches on her face, arms, and legs. Her hair, which had been pulled up in a lovely half ponytail, was now let loose and in array around her face. The light amount of make-up she had worn was now smudged or completely gone and the heels she had worn had been tossed off during the fight when they acted as more of a hindrance. The only thing that had remained intact was the dress and the black antique looking chocker she had worn with it. "It's odd," she continued with a frown. "Usually with my Soul Perception I can find them easily, especially since they're in large numbers. But it's like something is blocking their wavelengths."

"Do you think a witch could be involved?"

"Maybe, but there hasn't been any reports of a witch in this area."

"Well they _are _sneaky bitches. Our experiences with Medusa taught us that much."

Maka nodded in agreement though not completely happy with the situation.

"Soul! Maka!" From their postion on a slab of rock they turned to see Black*Star and Tsubaki running over to them.

"You two okay?" Tsubaki asked.

"Yeah, we're cool," Soul replied. "How about you guys?"

"We're awesome!" Black*Star yelled, throwing a thumbs up. "Kid's gonna be so jealous on missing this fight! We're gonna surpass him with the number of souls we got tonight!"

"You better at least share _some, _Black*Star," Maka said, putting her hands on her hips. "After all they did their duty to make sure no pre-kishin got into the other party."

"We should give him an odd number!" Black*Star laughed. Tsubaki sighed as she tried to dissuade her meister from his plan.

"We better leave before the police get here," Maka sighed. Soul nodded in agreement; a general rule of thumb for DWMA students was to avoid police at all costs, they only complicated things.

"Oi, Black*Star! Collect the souls! We need to get out of here!" Soul shouted.

"I'm not your servant you bastard!" Black*Star yelled back.

"If you do it then you can have my share of souls," Soul replied back coolly.

"Really?"

"I don't need them."

"YAHOO! Come on Tsubaki! More souls for us!" Black*Star yelled running off.

"You sure?" Maka said worriedly as she looked at her partner. Once a weapon started eating souls they needed to continue to eat them. It helped them become stronger, even after becoming a Death Scythe, and helped them maintain their human and weapon bodies. The last time Soul had eaten was on their last mission about three weeks ago. Soul shrugged.

"As long as we get out of here fast…."

"Don't worry!" Tsubaki yelled to them. "I'll save some for you, Soul! After all you need your strength!" She then bounded off.

"Let's head back to the hotel," Soul muttered, starting to walk away.

"Right." With that said Maka began to follow but with her first step a sudden pain shot from her foot and up her leg. "Ow!"

Soul spun around. "What's wrong?" Maka looked down at her feet causing Soul to follow her gaze. Both of them were surprised, though they shouldn't have been, to see her bare feet all cut up and bloodied. "Damn it, Maka," Soul hissed as he came back up to her. "Why didn't you tell me you cut your feet?"

"I didn't _know _until now," Maka huffed as Soul leaned own for a closer look. He gently took one foot in his hands and she leaned over to support her arms on his shoulders so she wouldn't fall.

"The wounds don't look that deep," Soul commented as he put the foot down, looking up at her. "But it's better not to walk on it."

"Then how do you expect me to get to the hotel?" she asked slightly annoyed. Soul help a blank expression at first before he deviously smiled that worried Maka. "Soul… what are you-"

Suddenly she yelped as Soul grabbed her around the shoulders and under her knees before hoisting her in the air. "Soul!"

"Quiet woman," Soul said, secretly enjoying the fact that he found a way to touch Maka intimately without getting chopped. "Would you rather I throw you over my shoulders?" Soul smirked down at her red face as she tightly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It's not funny Soul!"

"Really? I think it's hilarious," Soul countered as he now started walking, carrying her bridal style. Maka muttered darkly at him as she attempted to hide her face in his shoulder.

The pair was quiet for a few moments before Soul interrupted the silence. "By the way Maka," Soul started until Maka at least had one eye on him. "You did end up proving me wrong; the dress looks cool on you."

Maka beamed happily as an airy feeling bloomed in her chest. This had got to be the best compliment she had ever received from her partner. And the best part? Whether he realized it or not he had mimicked a light Scottish accent perfectly that caused delicious feelings throughout her entire body.

"Thank you, Soul." Soul shrugged as best he could, still continuing to look ahead though she could see a slight discoloration on his cheeks. Happily, she placed her head on his shoulder. Yeah he may be acting weird but he was still Soul and at least she still had him, which was all that really mattered to her.

And she wasn't going to give him up easily.

* * *

><p><strong>1. If anyone can get this reference you get a cookie!<strong>

**2. Cubic Zirconia is basically a fake diamond. I just didn't want to write that because I didn't like how it sounded.**

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! THANKS!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the next chapter's peeps not my fav but I like it.**

**Oh btw: this is the dress for Maka in the previous chapter http:/ jaksflowergirldresses. com /Brides82. jpg**

**Just remove the spaces.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Hours later that same morning, after stumbling into the hotel and getting a few hours of fitful sleep for most, the gang was gathered around a table outside a café not far from the hotel. Every one of them was dressed casually, giving no hints that they were DWMA students through you could possibly hint from out of town by Black*Star and Tsubaki's oriental style clothing. The only difference from what they all usually were was, once again, Soul was wearing another hat, this one another black beanie though it had a bill that he had pulled low over his eyes.

Maka didn't like the look; he acted like he was hiding when usually he was proud of his appearance, no matter how 'freaky' it was to anyone else. And she knew she wasn't the only one to notice. The girls had looked at Maka as if she knew the answer to this sudden change but the technician could only answer with a shrug. The boys had been more forthright and just asked Soul but he only shook them off coolly saying he wanted to. Nobody was buying that if it was any indication of the looks they gave each other.

'_Maybe we shouldn't have taken this mission…,' _she thought, taking a sip of her tea and casting a glance at her partner. He was slouched in his chair like he usually did but his head was down and he didn't smile even when Black*Star made a joke. _'God damn it Soul! What's wrong with you?'_

"So…," Kid started, switching from a playful tone to a serious one that caused everyone to look at him. "Last night was-"

"A bust," Liz interrupted with a heavy sigh. Kid sent his weapon a glare for the interruption while Patti giggled.

"I was going to say useless to our investigation but if you must, 'a bust' seems to be the correct phrase to describe the night."

"Heh, what are you talking about?" Black*Star said taking a bite out of his sandwich. "It wasn't a total bust, we did get more eggs to up our numbers."

"That may be true," Kid agreed, wrinkling his nose at Black*Star's lack of table manners when eating with his mouth full. "But it does not further our investigation in that _one _egg."

"Soul offered last night that a witch might be involved," Maka interjected. That perked everyone's interest as they all looked at her. "I'm having trouble using my Soul Perception in finding the large number of eggs. What if a witch is hiding them?"

"But why would a witch bother?" Tsubaki said. "I mean, besides Medusa, witches don't want to even bother with kishin."

"Maybe it's a witch like Medusa," Liz offered. An unsettling silence fell over the group. _That _was all they needed, another Medusa.

"Either way," Soul said, causing everyone to jump and look at him. "I say the faster we get the job done the better."

"We should stay longer after the mission!" Patti said happily. "The city is so pretty!"

"I wouldn't mind going to see some ruins," Maka concurred. Black*Star snickered.

"Laaammmmeeee…."

"Maka Chop!"

Black*Star fell to the ground with a large dent on his head as Maka put her book back into her shoulder bag. Tsubaki immediately got down on the ground to comfort her meister while Kid sighed at the situation, not in the least bit sorry for the ninja and his idiocy. His two weapons meanwhile continued to talk about the things that they would do after the mission was over acting as if like nothing had happened.

Soul remained usually quiet but a tight frown marred his features. He did _not _want to stay in Edinburgh longer than necessary but that plan may have just blown up in his face. "Tch. Whatever," he muttered darkly as he quickly stood up causing everyone to stop and look at him.

"Soul where are you going?" Maka asked worriedly.

"Back to the hotel," Soul grunted as he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet and toss a ten dollar bill on the table. "See ya."

"Just so you know Soul," Kid said before the demon weapon could escape. "There's going to be one party tonight. It's a formal celebration taking place at Edinburgh Castle. I hope you brought a suit."

Soul turned his back to the group, shoving his hands in his pockets to hide the fact they were in tight fists and his jaw was clenched. He could feel the Black Blood in him begin to boil and knew he had to get out there before he did something stupid. "Whatever." He then walked away to attempt to hide in his room for most of the day.

Once he was out of site Liz harped, "What the hell is his problem? He's been acting so, so-"

"Uncool?" Patti said.

"Yes!"

"Do you know what's bothering him?" Tsubaki asked as she and Black*Star took their seats again. The young technician shook her head.

"No, in fact he's been more withdrawn than usual…." Maka looked down at her half full tea cup feeling even more isolated from her partner as everyone talked about his weird behavior. After the battle last night, Soul had taken them both back to their room and had taken care of her feet. They hadn't been so bad that they needed to be bandaged but they were sore and Soul had been a complete gentleman, albeit with few sarcastic comments. But Maka had been happy to see him so calm and relaxed, so himself; he was one of a very few people who saw this side of him, not even their friends have seen it. It made it all the more special to Maka and she had smiled on her lips as she fell asleep for a few hours. Then everything went back to the way it was and those walls were back up at full force.

Looking up she caught sight of Kid staring where Soul had walked off with narrowed eyes, seemingly lost in thought. "Kid? Are you alright?"

Snapping out of his daze, he looked over at her with a controlled face. "Yes, I'm fine…. But if I may, could I speak to you in private later?"

"Um… sure," Maka said clearly confused while everyone else looked at them strangely.

"Well anyway," Liz said looking at Maka. "Did Soul even bother to bring a suit on this trip?" Maka thought for a moment.

"Nope I don't think he did. I guess I will have to into town to buy him one."

"Black*Star also needs one…," Tsubaki muttered almost as an afterthought.

"What! No way!" Black*Star said. "I'll go to the party dressed as I always do! I'm just going for the food!"

"No way! If you're going to the party you have to dress the part!" Liz shouted back. An argument erupted, even as they finished their late breakfast, paid for their food, and went into town.

Maka and Kid hung back from the rest of the group, watching with mildly amused expression. After a minute or so of not talking, Kid finally spoke. "Maka, about earlier…."

"Oh right! You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes. Last night, after you ran off to help Soul, I ended up running into someone…."

Maka looked at him with a tilt of her head as she waited for him to continue.

"Has Soul mentioned having family in the area?"

"Huh!" Maka abruptly stopped, staring at Kid wide-eyed. Her mind was going a mile a minute recalling all her moments with Soul.

"N-no. He's never mentioned his family to-to me. Not once."

Kid 'hmm'ed as he cupped his chin with his own hand, again going into his thoughts. This left Maka with her own. _'Is Soul really from Scotland? I knew he wasn't from the U.S. but I never even bothered to ask where he was from! Oh God, is that why he is acting like this? Cause he's afraid to meet his family again?' _

"Maka," Kid said, snapping her out of her reverie. "We all know 'Eater' isn't Soul's last name. Would it happen to be 'Evans?' Has he mentioned anything about it?"

"Evans…," Maka whispered quietly as her eyebrows scrunched together. "I've heard that name before…."

"The Evans family is a family that for generations has always birthed musical prodigies," Kid said in a matter-of-fact tone. Maka felt her heart stop.

'_Prodigies? Musical geniuses?' _She knew Soul was wonderful at piano, despite what he said, but she always thought it was from him having years of practice, not because he could pick up it instantly, like he did with the guitar.

"I need to go talk to Soul," she whispered without realizing it. She needed to hear it from _his _mouth that he was an Evans. She quickly turned to leave but was stopped when Kid grabbed her shoulders.

"Maka stop!" Kid snapped as she struggled in his grasp. "Stop and think! If it _is _our Soul, there has to be a reason he didn't tell us!" Maka stopped struggling in his grasp and looked at him with watery eyes and heavy heart.

But she did think. If Soul _was _an Evans why hadn't he told her? They were partners weren't they? They weren't supposed to hide things _that _big!

Then again Soul didn't do anything without a reason. Was he _scared_? Of what though? _'Soul….'_

"What do we do?" Maka asked quietly, finally looking away and down at her feet.

"I say we just keep an eye on him," Kid replied removing his hands from her. "Just act like we don't suspect anything. Unless we hear it from Soul, we can't be sure it's the same person."

Maka nodded solemnly before taking a deep breath and lifting her head up. She plastered on a false smile, her happiness still dampened but at least she was trying to pull herself together. She had to trust Soul on this matter, it was the least she could do for him. After all, he trusted her on a lot of things.

"Right," she said determinedly. "I still need to get a suit for Soul."

"We best catch up with the others then. I will _not _have them choose an asymmetrical suit for Soul and Black*Star."

Maka giggled as she followed after the young Shinigami, heart a little heavy but determined to trust her partner no matter what.

* * *

><p>Later that day, as the sun began to set, Soul couldn't help but feel frustrated as he clipped the cufflinks to the ends of his crisp white shirt. He did <em>not <em>want to go to this stupid party tonight. There was a high probability that his family would be there and he wanted to avoid _that _confrontation at all costs.

Seems fate was against him that regard.

Grabbing his black, silk tie, he skillfully put it on, glancing at the bathroom door where Maka was getting ready. "Oi, Maka. Hurry up!"

"Just a minute!" Maka's muffled huff came from behind the door.

Soul sighed as he grabbed his new black suit jacket. He wasn't all that surprised Maka had come back with a suit for him. Nor was he surprised that it fit him perfectly, they were partners; they knew each other inside and out- which could really be a pain some days. Standing in front of the mirror, he buttoned his jacket and fixed his sleeves, making sure everything was pristine, something he learned when he was a child. In casual clothes he looked cool but put him in a button up shirt and dress pants all his training came back to him and everything about him had to be perfect. _'Great,' _he growled to himself. _'Now I'm sounding like Kid!'_

Tearing himself away from the mirror, he moved to stand in front of the window to look at the city below; his home. The dying sun couldn't be seen but the sky was splayed with hues of yellow, red, and purple. He could make out the people below, milling about, not realizing the danger that lurked in the night.

_"What pitiful creatures…."_

Soul spun around quickly but found nothing out of the ordinary. It was _that _voice, not the Imps but that creature's voice. Soul stood straight, stiff as he turned back to the city. First no sleep, then the Imp, now this thing? _'What a nightmare….'_

He became lost in his thoughts, switching between thinking about the new problems with the Black Blood and tonight's dinner, and didn't hear the bathroom door open. He wasn't even aware of anything until he felt something grab his shoulder causing him to spin around to come face to face with Maka's concerned face. "Soul? Is something wrong?"

Soul gave a weak smile as he attempted to calm his rapidly beating heart. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Maka gave a small frown, staring at him for a few minutes. Soul forced himself not to squirm around and keep his face perfectly in place. Whatever she was looking for, she seemed to find it because she gave a small smile. "Alright, but remember Soul if anything is bothering you, you can tell me."

"Heh, whatever," Soul said. It was then that he noticed how close they were. She was nearly pressed up against him, the tip of her forehead nearly touching his mouth. His heart rate picked up again for an entirely different reason now and he forced himself not to blush. If he just leaned down he could-

Maka also seemed to notice their closeness and immediately jumped back. Soul hid his hurt by slouching his shoulders and giving his infamous smirk. For a while there was pulled up to one side in a messy side bun, held in place by a red rose clip and sure to give Kid a seizure. Her make-up was light with the mascara darkening her eye lashes to bring out her green eyes and her red lipstick brought out the plumpness of her lips. A pair of dangly cubic zirconia earrings framed her face and matched the tear drop necklace she wore.

The dress was a simple black one. It fit tight in the bodice, with a stripe of rhinestones running under her bust to accentuate the fact she had like the other dress did. When the material hit her hip it flared out a little with the front flowing down until it hit her knees while the back continued until it stopped at her ankles. To complete the look she wore a pair of sandal high heels with rhinestones running along the strap.

Soul felt his throat go dry just staring at her. He could practically feel his blood run hot and suddenly wished they didn't have to go out. After all, they had everything in the room, just the two of them, a bed-

_'Woah!' _Soul shouted at himself. _'Bad Soul! Bad!' _To cover up his growing lust he raised an eyebrow at Maka.

"You gonna be able to fight in those heels?" Soul was happy that he was able to control the lust in his voice, coming off as casual.

Maka gave him an innocent smile and the thick atmosphere lifted between the two of them. "Yep! These heels aren't as high as the other ones and the heel in thicker."

"Cool." Soul cast a glance at the clock on the bedside table. "We should get going. I don't want to hear Kid's bitching about us being late."

Maka laughed a little in agreement and with that, after she grabbed her black clutch, they set off. As they waited for the elevator, Maka surprised Soul with what she said. "Hey Soul?"

"Yeah Maka?" Soul looked down at his meister seeing her look up at him with a smile and her cheeks a little red.

She reached out with a hand and brushed back a stubborn piece of hair that refused to stay in place. He had foregone his headband since it wouldn't have gone with the suit, instead letting it fall naturally and only styling the bangs to stay out of his eyes and the back of his hair. "You look really cool tonight," she said before looking away.

Soul could only smile as they both got on the elevator.

* * *

><p>Soft music was in the air as guests mingled about Edinburgh's Castle lit Crown Square. The ancient fortress trapped the warm salt air that wafted from the sea, making it comfortable for everyone there. Pushed to one side the orchestra played a gentle tune with the long, white hors d'œuvre table next to them. The white was stone of the floor enhanced the lights, making the area brighter than it seemed. Fancily dressed women stood in secretive circles, whispering about the latest gossip, while the suited men talked casually about business and other things.<p>

The only oddball group in this sophisticated area was a group of young adults standing at the end of the buffet table. Two of them were on the ground surrounded by stacked plates as they devoured down their food. A slender, black haired woman in a cream colored Asian inspired dress stood next to one of them, the suited blue haired boy, looking very embarrassed but still wearing a smile. Another slender woman in a long red dress, with her arms folded over her chest, stood by also red dressed girl on the ground looking at her with a disapproving look but didn't seem about to stop her. Off to the side stood another boy and girl looking at everything with amused, but embarrassed, expressions.

"Some things never change," Maka said in a light tone. She was referring to the site before her but also recalling the beginning of the party where Kid had freaked out because of the one clock tower on one side of the square and not the other. It had taken Patti and Liz a good hour to make him ignore the sight.

"Indeed," Kid agreed, watching as Black*Star and Patti continued to stuff their faces. "Like how your partner is conspicuously missing from tonight's festivities."

"He's probably hiding in some dark corner," Maka muttered, puffing out her cheeks in a pout. Kid chuckled lightly in agreement. Both of them remained quiet just watching everything around them before Maka spoke again. "You know, maybe I should get Soul some food."

"Or perhaps something to drink," Kid said indicating to the two bottomless pits on the floor.

"You're probably right," Maka laughed, stepping away from him. "I'll be back in a bit." With that she walked away to find the nearest server with a tray of champagne.

Once she had two flutes, she decided to cheat and use her Soul Perception to find her partner. Closing her eyes she calmed her senses, reaching deep inside of her to immediately connect herself to her Anti-Demon powers. Instantly, a bubbly feeling encompassed her entire body, spreading down to the tips of her fingers and toes. She almost let out a giddy laugh at the happy feeling she got but held it in.

Opening her eyes, the world around her was black with tiny little orbs floating around. Barriers didn't exist on this plain, allowing her to see everyone's soul, even those miles below her. They were all shapes and sizes, some twisted with slight insanity but not enough for her to worry or care. She didn't really bother with any souls actually; she was more focused on finding one particular soul.

He wasn't too hard to find, just on the outside of the party, his blue soul calling out to hers. Happy to find him, she closed her eyes again and broke the connection to her powers.

Drawing herself back to the real world, she looked over to where she sensed Soul's soul only to see a wall. _'Figures he would be __**outside **__the party,' _she thought with a smile.

Happily, she walked out of the party onto the candle lined path that had taken the group to the party. The path had curved, leaving a large part in darkness. Passing through the candles and around the dividing wall, to do a little trek up, until she came to what could be called the 'viewing platform' now but way back when had served as one of the batteries for the fortress. There were decorative cannons lining the wall but her attention was drawn to one figure who was staring out at the city below.

She could see why Soul would want to come out here; the view was amazing. All around the city lights shined against the dark, starry night with the half-crazed moon smiling down on them. If it wasn't so dark, Maka might have been able to see the ocean to her left, many miles away. _'I wonder what he is thinking about?' _she thought as she made her way over to him. _'Is he thinking about his previous life here?'_

Hearing her footsteps, she watched as her partner turned around and smile at her. "Hey there," he said.

"Hey yourself," Maka replied coming up next to him and placing one flute down in front of him. "Sorry I couldn't get you any food. I'm pretty sure Patti and Black*Star ate almost all of it."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Soul laughed, taking the champagne and tipping it toward her in thanks. "Besides, I wasn't that hungry anyway."

Maka smiled gently, watching as Soul took a sip before looking out at the city. "The view's very beautiful."

Soul hummed in agreement. A peaceful silence fell between the two of them. It was just like old times except Maka couldn't help but feel this anxious feeling in her chest. She desperately wanted to ask him about if he was an Evans of not. And if he was, why did he hide it from her? It hurt to know that he didn't even trust her enough to tell her that information. But what if it broke their partnership? She wouldn't be able to handle that; no way, she loved him too much.

_'I wish my brain wouldn't think so much sometimes," _she thought as her brain came up with the worst case scenarios if she dare voice her thoughts. _'It wouldn't make me so nervous….'_

"Oi, Maka," Soul started making her jump and look at him. His face was completely blank but she could slightly see the turmoil in his eyes.

"Yeah Soul?"

The demon scythe opened his mouth but quickly snapped it shut again in a thin line. He looked so lost that she wanted to reach out to him and bring him into a hug but stopped when he said nervously before going flat at the end, "Do you…. Do you know if any eggs are in the area?"

The tight knot in Maka's chest burst with disappointment. She was so hoping that he would say something about his family so she could be able to ask questions.

"No," she said trying to hide her disappointment. "I haven't. It kind of worries me."

"It's still early, they may show up soon," Soul countered, looking out at the city again, swirling his glass.

"Maybe…." The atmosphere was a little tense between the two of them now and Maka cursed herself as she tried to find a way to break it. She could only think of one thing though.

"Soul, would you dance with me?"

Soul looked down at her in surprise before bursting out laughing. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am!" Maka huffed. "It's been forever since we last danced- not since out first battle with Crona. Is it so hard to dance in public?"

Soul chuckled again, deciding to ignore the question. "I'll think about it.

"That's not an answer Soul!"

"It's as good of an answer you're going to get." He threw an arm around Maka's shoulders bringing her into a half hug. She tensed for a minute, unused to Soul initiating any physical contact, but slowly melted into his embrace. She leaned her head against his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Whatever body wash he used it reminded her of a forest just after rainfall, mixing with his own natural spicy scent.

When he finally removed his arm, she nearly wept at the loss but held it in as she pulled back. "You should head back inside before the others start to worry," Soul said looking down at her.

_'Screw the others!' _Maka wanted to wail, just wanting to spend more time with her partner. But Soul had a point. If she didn't hurry back soon the others would come to look for them, making things awkward. "Alright, but only if you promise to do one dance with me."

Soul smirked. "Stubborn bookworm. Alright, one dance. But later okay?"

"Alright!" Maka happily replied. "Come in soon!" She then bound off to head back inside.

* * *

><p>Soul watched his meister walk off, almost skipping in her happiness. It made him smile seeing so happy.<p>

Turning back to the city, his smile dropped as he looked at the city he once called home. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he really missed Edinburgh some days. He missed the sights, smells, and tastes. It was home and he was taught to always be proud of his heritage.

Yet, he hid his past anyway.

_'I am messed up,' _he thought. He heard the Imp laugh but ignored him. Sighing, swirled his champagne more before taking a sip.

He wanted to ask Maka before if she would be upset if she knew he was still keeping things from her. He had lost his nerve though and had asked about the kishin eggs instead.

"So uncool…." Taking another sip and lost in his thoughts he missed the light footsteps coming up from behind him.

"Soul?" Soul nearly spit out his champagne as he spun around, wide-eyed and jaw dropping as his heart almost stopped at seeing the elderly woman in front of him.

"Granny…."

* * *

><p><strong>Don't forget to review! Reviews help me in my writing and make me very happy!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**I am soooo sorry for the long wait but here y'all go. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Soul stared in shock at the elderly woman in front of him who wore an equally shocked expression. She didn't look like most grandmothers, being a tall willowy figure. With her grey hair pulled into a tight bun in the back, he could see clearly her sharp aristocratic features in the dim light. However, it wasn't severe and in fact looked rather friendly, though he saw more wrinkles along her brow, eyes, and the corners of her mouth than Soul remembered. The elegant floor-length light blue silk slip-dress she wore fit her nicely but not obscenely. The dresses' capped sleeves and bodice were decorated with jewels but most remained hidden by an equally light blue silk shawl that was wrapped around her thin arms. To finish off the outfit, a pair of light blue silk gloves covered what Soul knew to be long callused fingers, a testament of her life's career as a world famous flutist. The new addition to her was the decorative dark mahogany cane, topped with a silver wolf's head, clutched in her hands.

All in all, Cecila Evans still looked as beautiful as she did when Soul last saw her before he ran away from home four years ago.

Cecila continued to stare at Soul for a couple of seconds before a weak smile came across her thin lips and tears began to build up in her ruby eyes. "Mo laoch beag…," her soft Scottish ethereal voice carried in between the two of them. It sent an arrow straight to Soul's heart, having not heard his childhood nickname in so long.

His champagne glass slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground in a loud crash. Cursing in surprise, Soul broke their eye contact in favor of stepping back and looking down at the mess he caused. A light giggle filled the air and Soul looked back at his grandmother as she approached her grandson slowly, cane and heels clicking against the ground. "Oh laoch beag…," she laughed looking at Soul in the eyes as tears fell freely from hers.

Soul stood stiffly surprised how he was almost equal to her height, except he was taller now by a few inches; he still remembered when she had to bend down to kiss his cheeks. He watched as she raised a shaky hand and brushing a piece of hair out of the way. "My, how handsome you've become."

Soul nearly choked on a laugh. "That's all you have to say Granny? After I've been gone for so long?" Soul asked, surprised by the thickness in his voice.

"Oh I have a lot of things to say to you young man," Cecila breathed as she wiped away her tears. "But I can't seem to remember any of them."

Soul smiled a little as he reached into his pants pocket where he kept a just-in-case handkerchief. "Here," he said, holding it out to her.

"Oh thank you dear," she said taking the offering. She dabbed away her tears before being able to look at her grandson again. Unfortunately when she did, more tears filled her eyes. "It has been too long Soul," she whispered.

Soul stood a little straighter, prepared for some kind of reprimanding for carelessly running away so many years ago. "But I am so relieved to see you a alive and healthy," she continued, surprising him even more. She was trembling but not from the cold Soul knew. It hurt him to see this woman he loved in such a state, all because he ran away.

Gulping, Soul pushed aside his pride and uncertainty, and opened his arms a little. The older woman caught onto what he was indicating and walked into his embrace, wrapping her one free arm around his neck and letting out a heart wrenching sob at finally to hold her youngest grandson again. Guilt ate away at his soul as the Death Scythe wrapped his arms around her waist. He buried his head into her neck and let her cry, taking a deep breath to smell her lavender perfume.

He melted into her embrace, finding it ironic that even after so many years, after going through so much, that he could still feel like a child wrapped in her arms.

Both of them remained that way for quite a while before Cecila pulled away. "Oh look at me," she laughed, using Soul's handkerchief to wipe her tears. "I must look a mess."

"Neva Granny," Soul said, unintentional switching to his Scottish brogue. Cecila laughed at that, clearly not believing him but enjoying the compliment any way. Soul smirked but then dropped it.

"Is… Wes here?"

Hearing the hesitation, Cecila looked up at Soul. "No…," he older woman said studying Soul's face. The demon scythe visibly relaxed making Cecila frown. "Soul, what's wrong? Don't you want to see Wes?"

"I do…," Soul admitted still in his Scottish accent. "It's jus' I don't believe I am ready for it." He hated admitting it outloud but, like Maka, Soul could not lie to this woman. It was just programmed in him at a young age.

Cecila's eyes softened as she reached out and gently cupped his face. "But he misses you so much, laoch beag. He never gave up the hope that we would find you again."

Soul pursed his lips, deciding not to comment.

"Don't give me that look laoch beag," she said, her voice a little stern but still with a gentle look. "If he was here right now instead of at that other party, he wouldn't let you out of his sight!"

"That's good and all Granny but-" he cut himself off as his brain finally processed what his grandmother had said. "Wait, what party?"

"A fundraiser," Cecila replied. "The McGails are hosting one tonight-"

"Why wasn't it in the paper!" Soul demanded, completely forgetting who he was talking to as the weapon side of him too over. Cecila immediately shut her mouth and carefully looked at her grandson. His body was tense, his eyes narrowed and sharp teeth bared. She didn't understand the 180 that occurred in him.

"It's just a small fundraiser," Cecila replied carefully. "And with all the attacks going on the McGails' thought it better not to publish it in the paper, spreading it word of mouth."

"Where is the party being held?" Soul asked, deciding not to curse out loud. Pre-kishin didn't read papers! They sensed the souls of people. And knowing a "small fundraiser" would have a large number of people; it was only a matter of time before they struck.

"It's at Pollack Hall-"

Soul tore himself out of her arms, reaching into his suit pocket and withdrawing his cellphone. Flipping it open, he quickly scrolled down, hitting the first member of his teams name which happened to be Black*Star's.

He hit the 'send' button and waited. By the second ring, the ninja picked up. "This is the great Black*Star-"

"Star! Listen! I need-"

"Soul? That you man? Why are you talking funny?"

Soul wanted to slap himself, realizing he was still speaking in his native accent. He coughed and switched back to the accent he taught himself years ago. "Yeah sorry. Listen, get everyone together and head over to Edinburgh University."

"What? Why-"

"Just do it Star! I'll explain later!" He snapped his phone shut, hating that he had to yell but time was against them. _'And let's not forget Wes is involved,' _he thought as he turned back to his grandmother.

The older woman was staring wide eyed at her grandson. She had never seen such a side of him. He was such a quiet and easy going boy but now this _man _in front of her was filled with determination she had never seen before.

Soul smiled apologetically. "Sorry Granny," he said. "I have to cut our reunion short."

"What? Soul-"

Suddenly a loud explosion echoed through the night. Cecila gasped as both of them looked to the area where the university was located and where a billow of smoke was now ascending into the night sky. Soul cussed loudly and proceeded to the edge, climbing the wall to jump down and run there. The others would just have to catch up with him.

"Soul! What are you doing!"

Soul glanced back at his grandmother, catching her worried and scared expression. He smiled reassuringly. "It's cool Granny. I'm a Death Scythe. I've done this a hundred of times."

And with that he jumped, ignoring her shocked scream, and not bothering to look back up as he took off, bound and determined for no more people to die.

* * *

><p>Pain was all that Wes knew as he lay groaning on the ground. His lungs, his entire body; he didn't understand how he ended up this way. All he remembered was talking with one of his friends then an explosion. After that, nothing.<p>

Slowly the pain subsided, making him aware he was flat on his back on the ground. It hurt to breathe but he forced himself to take deep breaths. The air was thick with burning ash on his tongue. Slowly opening his eyes he looked to see the area around him was littered with broken building parts and a huge chunk of Pollack Hall had a gaping hole in it.

He tried moving parts of his body slowly, happy to feel them all working but quickly came to realize that a small chunk of the building had trapped his left leg. He cursed loudly, as he attempted to sit up.

"Wes!" The white haired man looked to see his fiancée, Adele, running towards him, her once silver dress in tatters. She kneeled down harshly, immediately reaching out to him but left her hands hovering, not wanting to hurt him more. "Are you alright?" she asked, he French accent coming out more in her fear, doe brown eyes filled with worry.

"Fine," he hissed breathing though the pain, finally sitting up. He looked at the gray stone pinning his leg. He reach out and attempted to lift the stone by himself but when it became apparent that he couldn't, Adele attempted to help him.

Everything stopped though when there was the sudden sound of childish giggles. The pair stopped and slowly let their eye drift to the once whole building. In the shadows, there was the faint outline of a person, a female child. Seeing that she had their attention was focused on her, she moved out into the light. Looking no older than five, she wore a black frilly dress that fell to her knees. Her hands were playing with the skirt of the dress, allowing them to see the full length bell-bottom sleeves. She wore white knee-highs that matched perfectly with the white lace trimmings. Her black hair was pulled back by an equally black headband, letting the duo see her round innocent fleshy face. There was nothing innocent though in the closed teasing smile on her lips or in those wide _black _eyes with the pupils slanted like a cat's, or more accurately a _demon's._ "Do you want to play with me?" the child-like voice said with a hint of something sinister lurking beneath.

Clearly this child wasn't human as fear gripped Wes's heart and soul. He felt something grasp his hands and looked to see Adele's hand on his, wearing an equally scared expression, although he tried to hide his more for her sake. He looked back at the creature before them, determined that even though his leg was pinned that he would defend the woman he loved. The creature smiled, revealing shark-like teeth that reminded him of a certain younger brother but a lot more menacing. He watched in horror as suddenly from the shadows six blades emerged, attached to skinny appendages that were clearly sprouting out from the creature's back, three of each side.

Her smile grew more, stretching from ear to ear before she giggled madly again. With a sickening 'shink' the nails of her hands grew into razor sharp talons and before Wes had time to react to the sudden change she jumped in the air to lunge at them. Acting on instinct, Wes turned his body to shield Adele as she gripped tightly to him, both of them waiting for the blow.

It never came though as a wild cry filled the air followed by the sound of clashing blades. Wes spun his head around just as a young man in a suit landed in front of them, back towards them, with a black and red curved blades coming out of his forearms. Wes almost couldn't believe it as he stared in shock at the white hair. It wasn't until the young man spoke, voice deeper and huskier than he remembered, did he realize that the person in front of him wasn't a mirage.

"Heh, how uncool. Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

* * *

><p>Bladed arms by his side, Soul looked at the pre-kishin in front of him. He just got there in the nick of time before this egg had a meal of whoever was behind him. All he saw was the thing jumping in the air and that's all that mattered to him, not whoever was blocked from his view by building debris. It was unnerving for the fact that it looked like a little girl but then again, outer appearance didn't matter, it was the soul that did. And this one was sending out insanity vibes that stirred the Black Blood in him.<p>

Watching the demon child tilt its head to the side "innocently" Soul couldn't help but think how different this pre-kishin felt. Whether it was from the numerous times pre-kishin hunting, or from being around Maka too long and perhaps her Soul Perception was rubbing off on him, or from the Black Blood being able to sense the insanity, Soul didn't know and didn't care. All he knew was that this pre-kishin was way beyond the others he had faced the previous night. _'This might be the pre-kishin we're looking for,' _he thought with a narrowed gaze.

"Do you want to play with me?" the pre-kishin asked. Soul had to suppress a shudder at hearing the demonic voice.

On the outside, he smirked. "Yeah, I'll play with you," he said, raising his arms into a fight stance. "Then I'll eat your soul."

The thing giggled at him. "We'll see mister." Then she lunged at him.

Soul mimicked her action and the two met halfway on the battlefield. He swung his right arm at the thing, trying to stab it in the face. It pared with its left side. Quickly he stepped back, turning his body sideways and spinning, bringing a blade forth from his leg to stab it in the back.

The three other blades though stopped the advance. The three other blades tried to stab him again but bringing out blades from his unguarded side and blocked the blow. He swung his left arm to try and injure it. Seeing his attack, it quickly pushed back.

Soul rolled backwards from the impact, coming to kneel as the little pre-kishin jumped up on a nearby building. She smiled sickeningly sweet as a light giggle escaped her lips. "That was fun mister! Play more! Let's play more!" Instead of charging at him again it jumped backwards, taunting him to follow.

Soul didn't really have a choice but too.

"No you don't," he snarled before using the broken building parts to push himself up on the roof and follow.

* * *

><p>Maka never thought Edinburgh University would feel so far away as they finally stepped on the campus. Once Black*Star got Soul's message (which she was going to have a <em>long <em>talk to him about after this) and they heard the explosion, every second counted.

And. Her. Partner. Left. Her!

What if he was hurt? Or worse? _'Damn it Soul!' _she thought as they ran to where they heard screaming.

Slowly the area turned into a battlefield with broken building parts and small fires. People were running away as pre-kishin gathered around the area looking for their next meal to slaughter. There were already bloodied corpuses around making everything look like a massacre.

"Maka, we'll take care of the eggs," Kid said, Patti and Liz already in his hands. "Go find Soul."

"Right!"

She was about to rush forward when there was a wild human cry and the three meisters watched as Soul jumped out of nowhere doing a back flip in mid-air before landing perfectly on his feet. His suit had numerous cuts, some of them bleeding. His body was tense with blades drawn from various points of his body. A light sheen of sweat covered his face, making his hair stick to his face and his teeth were bared in a vicious snarl. His eyes were wild, filled with determination, anger, and excitement.

Seeing her partner, Maka immediately ran to him. "Soul!"

Before Soul could even look at her, something jumped out of the shadows toward him. He jumped backwards, barely dodging the blades that embedded where he once stood, and he was forced furthers away from his meister especially when the thing continued to attack him. Determined not to leave him, Maka immediately jumped up and ran after the two.

* * *

><p>Soul felt agitated as he dodged another attack while trying to inflict some damage of his own. This thing was harder to take down than it looked.<p>

Falling back he landed on the ground as the thing landed above him on the roof of a building. It smiled down at him and giggled, which was _really _starting to piss him off.

"Soul! Soul!" Hearing his meisters precious voice, Soul cast a glance behind him to see her running toward them, face full of determination.

He smirked, missing the pre-kishin frown. _'Now the fun really begins.'_

He didn't hesitate as he back flipped high into the air, transforming completely. The scythe arched in the air which Maka expertly caught, twirling it around her body before the shaft rested across her shoulders, the blade glaring in the night.

Maka glared at the pre-kishin in front of her, the outer child image pouting back. "Careful Maka," Soul said, his imaging flashing in the scythe blade. "This one's a tough one."

A corner of her mouth lifted up. "Nothing we can't handle."

"Heh, too right."

The pre-kishin hadn't moved, pouting at the two, head tilted at the side. "Why did you have to come?" it spoke. "Now I can't play anymore…."

Before the meister and weapon could comprehend what it said, there was a 'whish' and where there were once blades now were black bat like wings. Too stunned at the sudden change, it gave the creature time to jump in the air and start flying away.

"No you don't!" Maka yelled. She swished Soul off her and gripped him like she had many time before when they had flown. She pushed her Anti-Demon Wavelength into Soul's weapon form and in an instant they were airborne, chasing after the pre-kishin. The sharp angel like wings shined through the night sky as they raced forward to catch up to their target.

It wasn't the first time they had to fight in the air but they didn't have the luxury of any sort of flat surface like a mountain. So instead the duo flew above the pre-kishin before taking a sharp nose dive.

Only ever having practiced this move, timing was everything. As the two sped closer and closer, the wind biting at Maka's face, Maka counted the seconds and calculated the distance until she suddenly pulled out Soul from under her.

Time slowed as she withdrew her Grigori powers allowing Soul to go back to his normal weapon form. Raising him high at a side angle she felt Soul's soul reach out to hers just as she reached out to his. "Ready?" Soul's voice asked.

"Always."

"Soul Resonance!"

The moment the words left their lips, their souls connected. It felt like a jolt of pleasant electricity that passed through her body as she pushed all her energy into soul as he pushed his into her. A cycle began of swirling energy between the two of them that grew as their souls became closer and closer. His feelings and thoughts became hers as hers became his. This was the closest the two of them ever got during Soul Resonance but still something was holding them back from going all the way.

Pushing that thought away, Maka focused on the pre-kishin, feeling the blade of the scythe transform into an axe shape, the brightness lighting up the night. Bringing the weapon down, she yelled, "Demon Hunter!"

The attack seemed to be going to make its mark when the pre-kishin suddenly veered out of the way. It didn't get completely out of the way though, the end of the blade nicking its back, leaving a long, deep scar.

A loud screech filled the night as Maka quickly switched back Soul into flying mode and zooming off after the thing to attack again. "That hurt!" the thing screeched as it flew higher to stay above them.

Soon a game of cat and mouse ensued as they continued to fly above the city. Maka developed tunnel vision, only focused on the target, not realizing her surroundings or the fact they were over Edinburgh University again.

"Maka! Above you!"

Hearing Soul's warning, Maka snapped her attention upward to see something coming toward them. She veered them left narrowly dodging a column of light blue light. Looking up again, Maka saw more lights coming rapidly towards them. She had to fall back as a shower fell around her, making her perform complicated moves just to avoid them.

There seemed to be no end to them and Maka felt she might have to back off full when, suddenly, a light she had tried to dodge hit Soul on the end of shaft because she hadn't moved far enough. Soul cried out and with his concentration broken, the connection with Maka fell apart which caused the two to plummet to the earth. "Soul!"

Holding the shaft , she tried to reestablish their connection but was struck in the side by a column that had come out of nowhere. Cyring out in pain as she felt a buring amount of electicity went through her and she ended up letting go of Soul. "Maka!"

Terrified for her safety Soul transformed back into a human and reach out to his meister. Luckily he was able to catch her hand and drew her close to him as they continued to fall to the earth. He quickly maneuvered her to where her back was against his chest and his back to the incoming ground. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he knew this was going to hurt like a bitch when he impacted, having done this before, but to protect her he would do anything.

The wind whizzing past him, he closed his eyes and waited.

With a resounding crack, Soul hit the ground. Pain was the only thing he knew as it laced through his entire back and legs. To keep his cool he clenched his jaw and only grunted. He stayed completely still, trying to get over the pain when Maka shifted in his arms. "S-Soul? Ar-are you ok?" She sounded in pain and Soul forced his eyes open to look down at her.

She was trembling, body stiff and eyes closed tightly. Soul could only think it was from the column of light, remembering that jolt of electricity that happened to him. It went away fairly quick but he had been in weapon form. "I'm cool. What about you?"

"I-I think I'm good." She opened one eye to look up at him and offered a weak smile. He smirked back at her before looking up and his eyes widening.

"Shit!"

Before Maka knew what was going on, Soul's blades came out from his sides and covered her in a protective enclave, crisscrossing over each other. She couldn't question what was going on because there was a certain force that struck them, pushing them further into the ground, light shining through the tiny spaces in the was in between the blades.

It lasted a few seconds before the force went away. Soul didn't lower his blades, still holding Maka tightly to him, panting heavily, which under different circumstances she would have relished in.

They remained that way for a couple of minutes, waiting for another blow, but when nothing happened, Soul slowly withdrew his blades. It was quiet and nothing could be seen in the sky above.

Carefully the two of them stood up, Maka helping Soul until he stood straight, a slight grimace on his face. "Looks like it got away," he grunted.

Maka nodded and was about to respond when Black*Star's voice cut her off. "Soul! Maka! Are you alright!"

Maka and Soul turned to see everyone running toward them. "Man!" Black*Star laughed, seeing both of them standing. "That fall looked like a dewsy."

"Heh," Soul shrugged, holding back a grunt of pain as he shoved his hands in his dress pants. "Nothing to it."

While everyone gathered around them, Maka looked up, a frown marring her face. "That was definitely the pre-kishin we were looking for," she said before anyone asked. "I caught a glimpse of the soul while we were fighting." She looked back at everyone, though not really seeing them as her eyebrows knitted together. "But it was like something was blocking me from seeing it completely…."

"It seems we are getting more questions than answers to this mystery," Kid said, causing everyone to look at him, his weapons standing to either side of him. He cupped his chin. "Those pre-kishin we were going to fight left just as that one egg did."

Black*Star made a face. "This is way more complicated than we thought," Tsubaki said, voicing her meister's thoughts. "We should call for some back up."

"I say we hold off on that," Black*Star disagreed. "I mean we took down Kishin Asura so this shouldn't be too different."

"Rather safe than sorry," Maka said. "But for now I agree with Black*Star."

"Well since that is agreed," Liz said. "Let's book it before the cops get here."

Everyone agreed and turned to leave when a new voice stopped them. "Soul!"

The white haired weapon froze, heart seizing up. He stood rim rod straight, listening to the heavy panting behind him, before slowly turning around. Red eyes met red eyes for the first time in four years.

His brother let a small smile grace his face at seeing his younger brother fully, before breathing out. "Soul…."

* * *

><p><strong>Woohoo~ Second time writing a fight scene! I hope I did well. Feedback would be great!<strong>

**On that note: "Mo laoch beag"- "My little warrior" :)**

**REVIEW! Review because I love hearing from all of you!**


	6. Announcement

**Dear Readers,**

**I have an announcement pertaining to all of my stories. As most of you have seen I have not updated any stories in quite a while this is unfortunately due to the fact that, like most writers, I have been stuck in a writing rut. Now don't get this confused with 'writer's block'- that is not what I am going through; I know what direction I want my stories to go but when I actually sit down to write it my brain just completely shuts down. I have tried to write stuff but it becomes more and more difficult each time I try with all my stories- new and current ones. This has been going on since the middle of summer that is still going on currently- going on even longer for my Soul Eater stories. I don't know when it will end but the updates will come when it is over.**

**Thank you for understanding,**

**Malakia**


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